| Scientists identify the cat genome, a breakthrough
WASHINGTON: Scientists have mapped the genome of the domestic cat, raising hopes that the genetic identification of the seventh mammal to date will open the path to new research advances for humans. US researchers sequenced the DNA of a four-year-old Abyssinian cat named Cinnamon whose lineage traces back to Sweden, said the findings published on Wednesday, in the journal Genome Research. Cinnamon is one of a number of test mammals currently undergoing comparative analysis involving genetic research performed on cats and other mammals.
The similarity between the cat genome and six recently completed mammalian genomes (human, chimpanzee, mouse, rat, dog and cow) allowed the scientists to identify 20,285 putative genes in the cat genome, the study said.
Bigelow scientist explores new frontiers
The families of David and Lynda McClellan first came to New England in 1620 on the Mayflower and lived here for over 200 years. David is descended from William Brewster, while Lynda is a descendant of Miles Standish. Their families migrated west in the 1840s and 1850s and now, they have come home. David started working at Bigelow Laboratory For Ocean Sciences in mid-August. "My dad was a nuclear physicist and died while I was still in high school as a result of a radiation overdose he received back in the 1960s, which caused mutations that affected his blood cells. This had a great influence on me becoming involved in science, particularly, molecular biology," McClellan said. "Bioinformatics is the study of biological information.
After two judges recused, third sets Celis bonds totaling $50,000
CORPUS CHRISTI After two judges recused themselves from the Mauricio Celis case, a third set bonds totaling $50,000 Monday afternoon. That's $15,000 apiece on felony charges of falsely holding oneself out as a lawyer, impersonating a public servant, and perjury, and $5,000 for a theft charge. District Judge J. Manuel Bañales set the bonds after Celis' second appearance Monday in court. Earlier, Monday, during the first convening of Celis' bond hearing, his attorney Tony Canales sought District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos recusal on the grounds that she had recused herself recently in a civil case involving Celis. District Judge Marisela Saldaña recused herself Friday, and the case was assigned to Gonzales Ramos for the bond hearing. Celis was taken into custody after Bañales set bond and Canales said bond would be posted immediately.
MySpace, Attorneys General Target Online Predators With New Security ...
Born of this joint effort, according to a MySpace press release, was the Joint Statement on Key Principles of Social Networking Sites Safety, which was created for industrywide adoption, but there's been no word yet on whether similar social-networking sites, including Facebook and Friendster, will follow suit. As part of the partnership, MySpace will introduce a number of protections and participate in a working group to develop new technologies, including better ways to verify the ages of its users. "The Internet can be a dangerous place for children and young adults, with sexual predators surfing social-networking sites in search of potential victims and cyber-bullies sending threatening and anonymous messages," said New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram, who was one of six officials representing legal authorities from 49 states and the District of Columbia.
Images of dark matter distribution in a supercluster
We have covered advances in the understanding and observation of dark matter many time before, both in the Ars news section and Nobel Intent. At the recent meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Austin, Texas, researchers from the Universities of British Columbia and Nottingham presented compelling new observations of indirect evidence of dark matter. Their work is scheduled to be published in an upcoming edition of the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The current mainstream thinking in the astrophysical community is that dark matter forms a sort of web that houses galaxies. Last week's edition of Science was a special issue devoted to this unseen cosmic web. It is believed that as the universe evolves, the gravitational attraction of dark matter causes galaxies to spin and collide, forming superclusters.
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